Affordable Renewal Energy

Author Archives for RP Siegel

Tar Sands Update


You might not know this, but Canada has oil reserves of 170 billion barrels, more than Iran and Nigeria combined. This fact is not widely known since much of that oil has been considered “not economically recoverable,” lying deep underground in a mixtu…

Nest Thermostat 2.0 Brings New Energy-Saving Features


The Nest Thermostat has been available since last December. It has a number of very unique features that make it a great energy saver out of the gate. Now a software update that is automatically pushed out to Nest thermostats through their Wi-Fi inte…

Nest Thermostat 2.0 Brings New Energy-Saving Features


The Nest Thermostat has been available since last December. It has a number of very unique features that make it a great energy saver out of the gate. Now a software update that is automatically pushed out to Nest thermostats through their Wi-Fi inte…

California Charges Forward on EVs


As you may have seen, California Governor Jerry Brown announced a $120 million settlement last week with utility company NRG. The funds will be used to develop a large scale infrastructure effort for electric vehicles. This statewide charging network w…

Ford Focus EV Team Takes Steps to Avoid Chevy Volt’s Pitfalls


Undoubtedly sobered by the plight of the Chevy Volt, which recently idled production for five weeks, furloughing 1300 workers in an effort to draw down excess inventory, the Ford Focus EV team has taken a number of innovative steps to avoid a similar p…

Sustainability Culture Saves Billions for DuPont


Davide Vassallo is a global practices leader for DuPont’s Sustainable Solutions Group. As environmental stewards for a company that is the owner and operator of more than 150 production facilities around the world, his group has found that energy effic…

Fracking Firm Admits It Caused Earthquakes


Given the twin concerns of peak oil and climate change, it’s no surprise that natural gas (with its lower carbon intensity than coal) has been hailed by many as the salvation of our modern way of life, at least for now. And with the discovery of enormo…

Nest Learning Thermostat: Shiny Toy or Serious Tool?


It looks a bit like a hockey puck, but it’s designed to keep your home warm in the winter, while cooling it in the summer. But while it is indeed slick, it’s a lot smarter than a hockey puck; so smart, in fact that it can learn. I’m talking, of course,…

Nest Learning Thermostat: Shiny Toy or Serious Tool?


It looks a bit like a hockey puck, but it’s designed to keep your home warm in the winter, while cooling it in the summer. But while it is indeed slick, it’s a lot smarter than a hockey puck; so smart, in fact that it can learn. I’m talking, of course,…

New Japanese Wind Turbine Triples Power Output Without Increasing Size


Necessity, as we’ve all been told can sometimes be the mother of invention. In Japan, there is a necessity for a power source that does not require fossil fuels, since they don’t have any. So the Japanese invested heavily in nuclear power, which, a…